REALITY SHOWS AREN’T REALITY

In a revelation that will likely come as a shock to few TV viewers, many reality shows are rigged. No, it can’t be! Recently, Bob Sirott, Chicago Fox news anchor, reported that the series “House Hunters” didn’t accept one participant until she and her family already closed on the house they were buying. Shocking! If you believe in fantasy, don’t read on—most of the tabloid talk shows like Maurie, Montel, and the king—Jerry Springer—are rigged! And, if I haven’t ruined your day already, WWE Smackdown and every pro wrestling match going back to Dick the Bruiser in the 60’s has been choreographed!!

A New York Times March 31, 2011 article entitled, “Have I Got a Show for You” suggested that there be a new reality show, “EXTREME MAKEOVER, PUNK’D EDITION.” The comedian Steven Wright tells the deadpan joke, “The other day somebody stole everything in my apartment and replaced it with an exact replica.” In this new home makeover series that’s what the crews from Look-Alike Renovators do, in a sense: Chosen families are sent away for a weekend in the belief that their homes are getting a makeover, only to find in the big “reveal” scene that the house looks exactly as disheveled as it did before! The cameras capture their reactions — shock, tears, curses — when they realize that their dream of getting something for nothing won’t be coming true.

If you live life in crescendo, you probably shouldn’t be watching TV anyway, unless you are striving to be in the broadcasting business. When you spend your life watching other people live theirs, you aren’t living yours. Perhaps you should look in the mirror and watch the one person you should be keeping closer track to—yourself. Ask yourself, what can I do right now that will make a difference in my life or someone else’s? Hint—it doesn’t have to be anything dramatic. The operative word is “do.” Rarely do you get something for nothing—especially a self-actualized life. Make your own reality a little bit better each day and live life in crescendo.